Former Chelsea striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink is not entirely convinced by some of the Blues’ youngsters – and believes that Frank Lampard has a decision to make.
While Lampard is keen and willing to give our brightest young talents an opportunity this pre-season, as he proved against Bohemians last night, there’s not sufficient space to keep them all around this season.
Some will go out on loan, some will be sold, with others being kept around to plug holes in the squad. That’s Lampard’s decision to make, but Hasselbaink believes it may have got a little easier for him.
Hasselbaink is quoted by the Metro revealing his belief that some of the younger players looked out of their depth against Bohemians last night, meaning that its decision time for head coach Lampard:
“They lost the ball way too easy. Players were having too many touches, sometimes seven, eight touches and it slows the game down. It will be a lesson for Frank to see players and in a way it will make his mind up.”
“Moving the ball fast is his idea of how he wants to play the game. The majority of successful teams do move the ball quickly. We saw today, especially in the second half, certain players were dwelling a little bit too much on the ball. They didn’t have a solution before they had the ball.”
“It might be that it’s pre-season, it might be that they’re not fit yet and it will come. For some it might be a little too much. That is for Frank to figure out, who those players are and who he will go further with. That’s why those games are so important.”
He’s right in saying that a few of them looked sloppy, but it’s naive to overlook how impressive many were. It’s counterproductive to focus on the negatives when it comes to younger players.
Hasselbaink’s comments are rather puzzling.
